Philosophic analysis

Early attempts at interpretation of Tess frequently tried to reconstruct Hardy's philosophy and then interpret the novel in the light of the reconstruction

Later attempts continued to engage with Hardy's stated beliefs but also took on board literary theory connected with modernism or postmodernism

All such attempts have yielded valuable insights, though Hardy never saw himself as a philosopher, and to that extent, all reconstructions of Hardy's philosophy are somewhat hypothetical.

Determinism

A coherent philosophy?

Attempts at this construct of the novel assume Hardy acts as the omniscientnarrator. His comments are therefore not questioned but ascribed to some coherent and overarching system of authorial belief. Such interpretations emphasise Hardy's use of the terms 'Fate', 'Destiny', 'Time'. Phrases like 'the President of the Immortals' are given prominence, though Hardy denied he meant the phrase literally:

One such interpretation sees Hardy as believing in a Creator who is unseeing, less conscious and sensitive than his creations, especially human beings

Other reconstructions go back to Greek ideas of the three Fates, or blind Fate

Others investigate the German philosophers popular in the late nineteenth century, whom Hardy read. Most of their systems could be collected under the term 'determinism': that is, we have little control over our own destinies. The concept of choice is largely an illusion (see Determinism and free will). Even evolutionism can be seen as largely deterministic.

Deterministic factors in Tess

A deterministic analysis of Tess would focus on the following:

Her belonging to the fallen family of the d'Urbervilles is a sign of her continued descent, whatever choices she tries to make to the contrary. She may not be at fault for this fall, but, once started, it cannot be reversed

Instincts to find happiness are bound to be thwarted because Fate / Destiny / Providence has no interest in human aspirations. A moment of happiness will soon be annulled by disaster or calamity

Tess is thus a victim of her past and of Fate itself. Her glory is that she does not succumb fatalistically to her suffering.

Objections

It could be objected that Hardy's own life does not bear this philosophy out. He had a remarkably successful life, marred by very few tragedies. It has also been suggested the fatalism in the novel is merely a reflection of the fatalism of rural folk who have used it as a way of coping with natural disasters for centuries, and so no philosophical weight should be put on it.

Modernism

Was Hardy a modernist?

Hardy's critique of modernity, especially in the characters of Alec and Angel, has led some commentators to see Hardy as a judge of his own era, critiquing it in a modern way. As a literary movement, Modernism began before Hardy had died. When Tess was written, 'proto-modernism' might be a better term to describe this avant-garde movement:

Such writers used either irony or satire to attack Victorianism

They tried to establish much freer structures by which to assess morality

They sought to liberate the roles of men and especially women in modern society

However, such writers also critiqued the attitudes and behaviour of those who reacted to Victorian convention.

(The dramatists Henrik Ibsen and George Bernard Shaw would be good examples of contemporary proto-modernist writers.)

Modernist writers also experimented with time and time sequences. However, Hardy is a very traditional writer. His time sequence is in order, and causal connections are established firmly.

The novel as a reflection of its times

Tess does talk of the 'ache of modernity', and Hardy was obviously very aware that the loss of beliefs and values left a sense of alienation among modern people:

Alec's drifting around is one symptom of this

Angel's rebellion of faith is another. His modernity is not thought through but over-optimistic. He, too, is in danger of drifting

Tess is also alienated from her family, her village and ultimately from society as a whole. She becomes an outsider and her life is marked by loss and quest. She loses her simple faith, and becomes disillusioned by the men in her life. She becomes a wanderer and, in the end, modern life hounds her to death.

At times, Hardy suggests that, in the discernible future, enough progress will have been made to avoid all this. But his view of progress is somewhat pessimistic, (typical of modernist writers). Social conventions change slowly and human freedoms are slowly won.

Post-modernism

In literary studies, post-modernism is most frequently seen in what is called 'Deconstruction'. Post-modern readings do not claim that Hardy himself is post-modern. In fact, post-modernism puts no great faith in the ‘narrator' and drives a wedge between narrator and creator of the text. 'The unreliable narrator' is a typical post-modern phrase.

So instead of trying to construct what the author is saying, the method is to deconstruct the surface text, and to see its ambiguities and contradictions. Rather than assume a coherent authorial philosophy, post-modern readings of the text attempt to see just how many perspectives and viewpoints are included in the text, whether any are 'privileged' and if so, why.

Hardy's ambiguities and silences

Hardy is ambiguous in that what he says is not always what he shows, and he should not always be taken at face-value. Tess herself can be seen as a fractured reference point rather than a coherent identity, whom readers have to construct from a series of fragments.

Post-modernism also explores silences and borders or margins, where one state of being crosses into another:

Tess is full of silences, of things that are not written out, such as Tess's confession. Why not? Why this evasion?

Tess also lives on the margins of her societies, crossing over all sorts of borders in her own development and in the class structures of the day.

Christian

The three main subtexts used by Hardy in Tess are all Christian, so the novel lends itself to interpretation in this way. Hardy was particularly aware of Christianity, if only because he was once a believer and then became a critic of it. His thinking is still influenced by Christian concepts and his rejection of Christianity needs critiquing.

Secularised Christian themes – the pilgrim

One aspect to explore is how Hardy uses Christian themes, but in a secular way. The idea of the secular pilgrim is a good example, drawing on the subtext of The Pilgrim's Progress:

While the Christian searches for salvation, in Tess the protagonists instinctively seek happiness or even love

For a Christian, redemption is permanent, dependent on Christ, not on fallible humans

In Tess, although it is an ‘angel' who seeks to save Tess, he fails miserably, almost damning her to a hellish life with Alec

Rather than repentance being appropriate for the pilgrim / Tess, it is the ‘saviour' / Angel who needs to repent and go through a purgatorial experience

A salvation of happiness in a paradise of love is achieved, but it is transitory, not permanent

Angel can't even offer Tess the consolation that they will be together in heaven, a central tenet for Victorian Christians.

Secularised Christian themes – purity not righteousness

In Tess, the defining moral term appropriate to salvation is purity, not the righteousness of Christianity:

Hardy's point is that purity must be attributed to Tess because of her good intentions

However, ‘good intentions' are a subjective value judgement, compared to the objective terms of Christian salvation, where righteousness depends on the perfect life and death of Jesus. See Big ideas from the Bible: Redemption, salvation.

Wordsworth's position was that nature was part of God's providence and therefore was basically good, revealing God's love

Hardy can see no such role for nature, but lacking a substitute belief, can only lament.

Representatives of religion

Hardy is obviously attacking the Christian church as an institution through the way in which he portrays its representatives:

The vicar of Marlott is embarrassed by Tess's baby

The Clares, both parents and sons, are restricted by their class conventions

Alec's conversion is suspect

Only Mr Clare emerges with any honour. But, even here, Hardy gives no reason why Mr Clare's Paulinetheology is not valid, only that he does not like it

Perhaps the greatest criticism of the institutional church is that its impact on Tess and her community is limited. She is affected far more by Alec and Angel's faithlessness. The loss of her own faith (through Angel) only brings harm to her.

What is destined to happen to someone. In Greek mythology, the powers of Fate were often depicted as three women who decided on each individual's destiny and life-span.

A direction given to life by some outside or inner force or power. It differs from Fate by being positive and purposeful.

Determinism is a philosophical concept. It means that the course of each human life is predetermined.

The care and concern for future well-being; in particular, the care of God the Father for all creation.

Modernism was an artistic movement starting around 1900 in conscious reaction to the prevailing Victorian Romanticism.

Some other literary text that is present in the mind of writers when creating a new text, and by references, parallels or in some other way, becomes present in the new text also.

Name originally given to disciples of Jesus by outsiders and gradually adopted by the Early Church.

The beliefs, doctrines and practices of Christians.

In the Bible, salvation is seen as God's commitment to save or rescue his people from sin (and other dangers) and to establish his kingdom.

In Christian belief, the redemption of humanity was achieved by Jesus who in his death on the cross made a complete sacrifice sufficient to pay for the sins of the world.

Title (eventually used as name) given to Jesus, refering to an anointed person set apart for a special task such as a king.

Supernatural beings closely linked with the work of God; his messengers, traditionally portrayed as having a winged human form.

Word used in the Authorised Version of the Bible for punishment or destruction, referring to the fate of those who are found on the Day of Judgement to have rejected Jesus Christ (Revelation 20:12-15).

Jesus describes hell as the place where Satan and his demons reside and the realm where unrepentant souls will go after the Last Judgement.

The act of turning away, or turning around from, one's sins, which includes feeling genuinely sorry for them, asking for the forgiveness of God and being willing to live in a different way in the future.

1. Someone who undertakes a journey to a holy place (such as a biblical site or the shrines of the saints) to seek God's help, to give thanks or as an act of penance.
2. A Christian journeying through life towards heaven.

In traditional Roman Catholic doctrine, an 'antechamber' to heaven, a place between Heaven and Hell, where the souls of those dead who are not damned, but not yet fit for heaven, go to be purged (purified) of their sins.

A place of beauty and perfection, associated in the Bible and literature with both the Garden of Eden before the Fall, and heaven. Often used as a synonym for heaven.

In many religions, the place where God dwells, and to which believers aspire after their death. Sometimes known as Paradise.

Morally right, or virtuous - in a Christian sense, made so with God through Jesus' death on the cross.

The name given to the man believed by Christians to be the Son of God. Also given the title Christ, meaning 'anointed one' or Messiah. His life is recorded most fully in the Four Gospels.

1. Term for a worshipping community of Christians.
2. The building in which Christians traditionally meet for worship.
3. The worldwide community of Christian believers.